Russian exports remain dominated by mineral fuel, metals, and foods

TOKYO, January 29. /ITAR-TASS/. Trade between Russia and Japan rose to an all-time high of 3,376 billion yen (about $34.6 billion) last year, the Japanese Finance Ministry told Itar-Tass.

This compares with a 2012 figure of 2,665 billion yen (about $33.4 billion), according to the ministry’s official exchange rate.

Russian exports surpassed Japanese goods imported into Russia by about 1,200 billion yen, or about $12.7 billion. This compared with a Japanese trading deficit of 655 billion yen, or slightly more than $8 billion, a year before. The increase was due primarily to fewer Japanese cars imported into Russia, said Mititaka Hattori of Tokyo's Institute of the Economy of Russia and New Independent States

Russian exports remain dominated by mineral fuel, metals, and foods. Although the trade structure remained unchanged, Hattori said, it had developed steadily, indicating the favorable state of bilateral relations.